Selected Information on Nutrition and Physical Conditioning

Central drive dilution theory and single limb work

Although the word theory is thrown around colloquially as a synonym for “guess”, a scientific theory is a testable prediction based on evidence. Consistent with this usage, the central drive dilution theory comes from something we’ve all experienced called the bilateral deficit.

Whether you’ve known it or not, your body contracts muscle far better during single limb work than when using both limbs. For example we have better contraction during a single leg squat than the traditional two-legged version. This happens because the neural signals for muscle contraction get divided during the bilateral exercise, whereas everything can be focused during single limb work. This bilateral deficit is not only a reason why you should be incorporating unilateral work into your program (among others), but it’s the extension of which that is the central drive dilution theory.

About David Barr:
“David Barr is a strength coach and scientist, with research specialty in nutrition and its impact on performance and body composition. In addition to his work for NASA at the Johnson Space Center, David’s research career has involved everything from the cellular basis of muscle breakdown to work on critically ill catabolic patients.”Source: tmuscle.com